


10 Days Alone Together...What Could Go Wrong?

by Chenford_Army_7A19



Category: The Rookie (TV 2018)
Genre: A little bit of Lucy’s PTSD comes up, Domestic Chenford, Drunk Lucy Chen, F/M, Feelings Realization, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fun, Games, Minor Injuries, Pre-Relationship, Revelations, Tim and Lucy in Quarantine together!!, Truth or Dare
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-17 22:47:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29973435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chenford_Army_7A19/pseuds/Chenford_Army_7A19
Summary: Tim and Lucy have to quarantine. And since Lucy and Jackson live together, Tim suggests she come quarantine with him at his house. How will 10 days alone together end up for them?
Relationships: Tim Bradford & Lucy Chen, Tim Bradford/Lucy Chen
Comments: 57
Kudos: 121





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is in no way meant to make light of or diminish the significance of the ongoing pandemic and I have honestly been debating actually posting the story at all. I’m still not feeling great about it, but hesitantly decided to post the first chapter anyways
> 
> Also, I’ve been working on this forever (and have literally written and posted 2 other Chenford fics while trying to finish this one.) I had it mostly finished once, but didn’t really like it, so I reworked and rewrote parts of it, cut some other parts, and here we are!

**Chapter 1: Roll Call (6 A.M)**

Chatter and small talk filled the roll call room.   


Tim sipped on his coffee as he listened to Angela discuss the latest pregnancy-related changes to she and Wesley’s wedding plans with Lucy and Nyla, 

_ “Honestly, I think it’s a great idea to get married BEFORE the baby comes. And bonus, depending on the sex of baby Evers, you could already have your ‘something blue!’  _ Lucy suddenly chimed in. 

_ “Yeah, no. I’m not doing the whole ‘something old, something new’ thing. I loved the idea of it until the moms...bride and groom side, teamed up again and decided to make it a whole thing!”  _ Angela groaned.  _ “But they finally gave in and decided to let me pick the flowers for  _ **_MY_ ** _ bouquet!”  _

_ “Ooh!! I think peonies and hydrangeas would be gorgeous paired together! You could add some Lilly of the valley too!”  _ Lucy suggested, and was quickly met with a glare from Angela  _ “Uh. Right. Sorry!”  _ she grinned. 

Nyla laughed before glancing between Tim and Lucy.

_ “I’m sure those flowers will look gorgeous at  _ **_your_ ** _ wedding though, Lucy! You know...whenever you happen to get married. If you ask me, I think it’s gonna be sooner rather than later!”  _ she and Angela both smirked as Angela nudged Tim’s shoulder. 

This was met with an eye roll from Tim. 

_ “What Bradford? You got something you wanna add?”  _ Angela scoffed. 

_ “Nope. Just…”  _

Before he could finish, Grey walked in. 

_ “Alright. Alright! Settle down.”  _

The room fell silent as all eyes turned to the watch commander who was now up at the podium. 

  
  


_ “Ok. First things first, West and Lopez, you two will be following up on an armed robbery that occurred last night at Circus Liquors. Night shift did most of the heavy lifting, but you’ll need to check in with the store owner, see if they remember anything else this morning. That brings us to Nolan and Harper. You guys are going to be on a special assignment for the first half of your shift. See Detective Calderon after we’re done here for more details. The rest of you, go. Get out there and fight some crime! Oh, Bradford, Chen, see me in my office after this. Ok. That’s all. Be safe out there!”  _

Tim and Lucy were confused to say the least. 

_ “Why would Grey want to see us? There’s gotta be something wrong, right?”  _ Lucy asked Tim nervously as they headed towards Grey’s office. 

_ “I’m sure it’s no big deal. Probably just some colossal waste of time.”  _ Tim mumbled. 

Tim knocked on the door. 

Without looking up from whatever he was reading on his computer, Grey waved them in. 

_ “Come in.”  _

“ _ So, what’s going on Sarge?”  _ Tim questioned nonchalantly. 

He sighed. 

“ _ Remember your ride-along from a few days ago?  _

Tim and Lucy both nodded. 

_ “Well, I just got word this morning she tested positive yesterday. As far as I know she’s only displayed mild symptoms so far. I know there’s a good chance neither of you have it, nor will you actually end up contracting it, but, as per LAPD protocol you two will also need to get tested. In addition you are required to quarantine for 10 days after exposure, and get a negative test before you can come back to work. I’m sending you two home. Sorry guys.”  _ Grey frowned. 

_ “You’re kidding! I knew there was a reason I hate ride-alongs!” _ Tim growled, “ _ She was in the backseat, in a mask, 3 feet away almost the entire day. If we don’t end up getting infected we’ll have wasted 10 whole days of training...10 valuable days of Chen’s last 20 days of her probationary period. You can’t…” _

Lucy glared at him. 

_ “Tim. It’s not Grey’s fault. He’s just following the protocol. Even if we don’t end up getting sick, do you really want to risk the chance that we do? I know you’d feel terrible if you came to work and didn’t know you had it and ended up giving it to someone else.”  _

Tim sighed. 

_ “You’re right Boot…” _

_ “Wait. I’m what? Can you say that again?”  _ Lucy teased.

Her teasing was met with a classic Tim Bradford death stare. 

_ “Okay. Shutting up.”  _ she sighed

_...Don’t you live with Jackson? How are you going to quarantine with him in your apartment too?”  _ Tim finished. 

_ “Crap. I didn’t even think about that. Ugh. I don’t want to kick him out of his own apartment. But I don’t really have any other option. He and Sterling...uh...Skipper, broke up, so he can’t stay with him. I guess I could get a hotel room or something.”  _ Lucy rambled to no one in particular. 

Tim groaned in annoyance. 

_ “You could always stay at my place. I’ve got a spare bedroom. That way you wouldn’t be alone for almost two weeks. I wouldn’t be alone for almost two weeks. And West doesn’t get booted from your apartment.”  _ he suggested. 

Lucy and Grey both looked at him in disbelief. 

_ “That’s a nice offer Officer Bradford. What do you think, Officer Chen?”  _ Grey glanced at Tim and then Lucy. 

_ “Uh. Yeah. I agree with you sir. But, Officer Bradford? Are you sure we could survive 10 days, just the two of us, without killing each other? Because I feel like there is no way this ends well.”  _ she teased dryly. 

Tim took a deep breath. She could tell he was getting a bit agitated. 

_ “Lucy! Would you just make a decision? We don’t have all day! And I’m pretty sure Grey is about to kick us out, one way or the other. Just...make up your mind!.”  _ He grumbled. 

Lucy giggled. 

_ “Ok. Ok. Just hold your water Bradford. I’ll stay at your house. But I have to run by my apartment and pick some stuff up first. And let Jackson know what’s happening.”  _ she smirked.  _ “I guess I’ll see you in 10 days then sir.”  _ she nodded at Grey before turning and starting towards the locker room. 

She was met by Angela and Jackson who had yet to head out. 

Jackson immediately spoke up. 

_ “So is everything ok? What’d Grey want to see you and Bradford about?”  _ he questioned. 

_ “Um, our ride-along from a few days ago tested positive, so Tim and I have to go get tested and quarantine for 10 days.”  _ Lucy explained.  _ “But don’t worry. I’m gonna stay at Tim’s, so you can stay at the apartment. I’m just going to stop by and pick some stuff up before I head over.” _

Angela had a huge, snarky grin on her face. 

_ “I know what you’re thinking Lopez. Get your mind out of the gutter.”  _ Tim’s voice pierced through the room as he walked up behind them. 

A similar grin had spread across Jackson’s face as well. 

Lucy shook her head in disbelief. 

_ “Seriously Jackson? You too? You guys are the worst! He’s my T.O. Not to mention a huge pain in my ass.”  _ she flashed a subtle look back at Tim. 

_ “WEST! LOPEZ! AREN’T YOU TWO SUPPOSED TO BE OUT FOLLOWING UP ON AN ARMED ROBBERY? AND BRADFORD AND CHEN...GET OUT OF HERE!”  _ Grey’s voice boomed through the bullpen, startling all four of them and sending them scattering. 

_ “Sorry sir!”  _

_ “Yes Sir!”  _

Tim and Lucy quickly made their way to the locker rooms while Jackson and Angela headed out to the liquor store for their follow up.” 

Tim and Lucy exited the locker rooms at about the same time. 

_ “So, I guess I’ll see you back at my place?”  _ he shrugged. 

_ “Yeah. I’ve just got to grab some clothes and a few other things and then I’ll be over.”  _ she confirmed. 

Tim turned to head out. 

_ “Hey Tim?”  _

“ _ Yeah?”  _

_ “Thanks.”  _

_ “For what…”  _

_ “Ok. I’m going to stop you right there. I swear. If you say ‘for doing my job?’ ”  _ Lucy smiled. 

_ “Fine. You’re welcome. But seriously , it’s not a problem. And I wasn’t actually going to say that.”  _ she grinned back at her. 

Lucy laughed. 

_ “Ok. I’m gonna go now. I’ll see you soon!”  _


	2. The First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s Day 1 of Tim and Lucy’s quarantine!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the feedback on the first chapter!! I’m so happy you all enjoyed it! I’ll plan to keep posting chapters!! 
> 
> It’s mostly a day by day look at what they’re doing, but I’m pretty sure I do skip ahead a couple days at one point. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy the rest of the story!!

**Chapter 2: The First Day:**

Lucy was nestled under the blankets, still fast asleep when a knock on the door startled her awake. 

She grumbled.

_ “What do you want? It’s like 7:00 in the morning! Why are you even up this early? Who wakes up this early? Go away.”  _ she sleepily groaned. 

Tim softly chuckled to himself. 

_ “Ok. First off, it’s 10:30, Lucy. And second, I fixed breakfast earlier but didn’t want to wake you, so I was gonna see if you were planning on getting up anytime soon so I could be sure to have some ready for you. But I think I’d rather just leave grumpy Lucy alone, so breakfast is ready whenever you decide to drag yourself out of bed.”  _

Lucy reached for her phone as she lazily rolled over to face the door. She tapped the screen and it lit up, revealing that it was, in fact, about 10:30. 10:35 to be exact. She jolted upright in bed. 

She had definitely not meant to sleep this late. 

_ “No. Wait. I’m getting up. But I think I’ll take a quick shower before breakfast, so...um...give me like...20 minutes and I’ll be out?”  _ she shouted. 

_ “Fine. I guess I’ll take Kojo and get a quick walk in with him while you’re showering. I’ve got my phone if you need anything, ok?”  _

Lucy sighed, opening the door. 

_ “Yeah. Ok. Whatever. Got coffee?”  _

Tim scoffed. 

_ “Are you serious Lucy? Obviously I have coffee. But I don’t have the 5 gallons of creamer and 30 cups of sugar you usually put in it.”  _ he teased. 

Lucy rolled her eyes. 

_ “Shut up!! I do NOT use that much cream and sugar.”  _ she giggled. 

Tim looked at her in disbelief. 

_ “Oookaay. So that’s why your coffee always looks like milk and smells like straight sugar?”  _

She chuckled. 

_ “And it’s not like you need any more sugar…”  _

Lucy smiled, thinking Tim was about to say something nice. 

_ “You’ve already got endless energy. You’re like a 10-year old on a sugar rush who never stops going...or talking. On a daily basis. All I’m saying is maybe cut back on the sugar boot!”  _

Her smile fell for a second and she glared at him. 

_ “Wow. Ok. I think maybe you need to cut back on the…Mmhm. Shut up!”  _ She laughed, unable to think of a good comeback. 

_ “Solid burn there Lucy.”  _ Tim teased. 

She playfully shoved him. 

_ “You know what? I’m just gonna go take a shower now. Enjoy your walk with Cojo!”  _ she laughed, bouncing off to the bathroom. 

He rolled his eyes and smiled warmly as he watched her disappear into the bathroom and heard the water turn on. 

Cojo began pawing at the door, whining. 

_ “Ok, ok! C’mon buddy! You ready for walkies? Let’s go bud!”  _ Tim cooed, his usual rough, tough act dropped for a second. 

Cojo’s tail wagged furiously and he let out a loud, anxious bark as Tim masked up and put the leash and harness on the excited dog, before they walked out the door. 

About half an hour later they got back. 

Lucy was finishing up getting dressed. She was singing softly to herself, but just loud enough for Tim to be able to be able to hear. 

Funnily enough, she was singing Lady Marmalade, which secretly happened to be his favorite song. Not even Angela knew that little secret! 

He waited a minute, listening to her smooth, beautiful voice, enjoying her little personal jam session she was having, before calling out to her. 

_ “Hey Lucy! Kojo and I are back! I’ll go ahead and heat some food up for you! And don’t worry, I didn’t hear you singing!”  _ he chuckled. 

Lucy went silent. She was mortified. Tim had caught her belting out Lady Marmalade. And she had no idea how long he had been out there. 

Had he heard her singing I Want It That Way also? And god forbid he heard her singing Call Me Maybe. 

Tim would never let her live this down. 

She sheepishly emerged from the bedroom, cheeks flushed and burning, her head hanging as low as she could possibly make it go, to try to avoid eye contact. She repeatedly twisted and untwisted her hair around her finger.

_ “Um...so...h..how was your...uh…walk?”  _ she stuttered weakly. 

Tim grinned.

_ “Lucy. It’s fine. You’ve got a beautiful voice. And truth be told, and I swear if you ever tell anyone what I’m about to tell you, you’ll be doing burpees behind the shop at every red light, running the obstacle course in a bomb-disposal suit, AND doing 50 push-ups between every call, but...um...Lady Marmalade is actually my favorite song.”  _

Lucy half gasped, half laughed, before completely bursting out laughing. 

_ “Seriously? I would have pegged you as more of a Cash or Elvis guy or something old. You know what, no. I’d definitely assume you’re a listen to an a.m talk show on your way into work person.”  _ she teased. 

Tim glared at her. 

_ “You’re having fun with this, aren’t you?”  _

_ “Way too much!”  _ Lucy giggled. 

He pulled a plate of food out of the microwave and shoved it towards her. 

_ “You know what...here. Just...eat your breakfast. Not. Another. Word.”  _ he growled. 

_ “Well, it’s more brunch at this point, but...shutting up.”  _ she smirked before quickly backing off as soon as he gave her the T.O Tim look and turning her attention to the hot plate of biscuits and gravy in front of her. 

  
  


Lucy finished her food and started to make her way to the guest bedroom. 

_ “Ok. So you’re just gonna dine and dash boot?”  _ Tim teased. 

He was met with an exaggerated eye roll and exasperated sigh.

_ “Oh relax. I’ll be right back. I’m just grabbing my journal. I’ve got to do my morning journaling.``  _

He shot her a quizzical look. 

_ “I could teach you and we could journal together!”  _ Lucy grinned. 

_ “Uh. Yeah. That’s going to be a hard pass. But I could turn the Rams game on and we could watch it together. Maybe you could add it to your journal later.”  _ he smirked. 

_ “Whatever. But you’ve got no idea what you’re missing out on. Don’t worry though, I’ll have you journaling by the time this quarantine is over.”  _ she assured him

_ “Mmhm. Doubt it.”  _ he sighed. 

**A few hours later:**

Tim and Lucy had spent most of the day doing almost absolutely nothing, and they were bored. 

They’d barely made it through Day 1 of 10 and were already getting stir-crazy.

_ “Ooh! I know! We could play a game! Do you have any board games? Or Uno or something?”  _ Lucy excitedly broke the silence. 

Tim was laser-focused on a rerun of Rio Bravo. He sighed. 

_ “I don’t know Lucy. Go check the hall closet. Or the guest bedroom or something. In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m not really the board game kind of guy.”  _ he mumbled, kind of annoyed, also a bit infatuated with how excited she was about playing games. 

Lucy got up and disappeared down the hallway. 

She was gone several minutes before Tim heard her excitedly shout. 

_ “I found Monopoly, UNO, or Clue! Not much of a selection, but I think we can definitely  _ make it work!” 

Tim didn’t really care what game they played. He just knew it would probably end in a huge fight since they were both so competitive. 

_ “How about UNO?”  _ he shouted back. 

She hurried back out to the living room, all three games in hand. 

As she dealt the cards Tim added a few “rules” of his own. 

_ “Ok. Every time there’s a reverse or skip card played, you tell me a penal code. Draw 2, I quiz you on 2 penal codes. And a draw 4 or wildcard, I quiz you on absolutely anything I want.”  _ he smuggly grinned. 

Lucy just stared at him. 

_ “You can’t be serious. It’s a GAME! It’s supposed to be FUN!”  _ she argued. 

_ “Your training period doesn’t stop just because we’re stuck in quarantine. What kind of T.O would I be if I let you slack off. You’ve got to get all this stuff memorized so you can stay sharp in the field, boot.” _

Tim shuffled and dealt the cards out, flipping over a red 5 card. 

Of course all Lucy had to play was a wildcard. 

Tim grinned playfully. 

_ “You arrest someone for a robbery here in L.A. Afterwards, you find out they’re also suspected of another robbery in San Francisco. What do you have to do?”  _

Lucy stared at him in disbelief. 

_ “You’re really doing this? You are really quizzing me on LAPD procedure in the middle of a game of Uno?”  _ she asked. 

_ “Yes. Now, what do you have to do?” _ he impatiently asked again. 

_ “Ok, ok. You notify the Fugitive Warrants Section, Gang and Narcotics, and the other jurisdiction, in this case, San Francisco PD. Now play.”  _

They made it through a few more rounds before Tim played a skip card. 

Lucy rolled her eyes. 

_ “488. Petty Theft. There, happy now?”  _ she groaned. 

The biggest smile crossed his face. He silently laid down a Draw 4. 

_ “I am now! Draw 4 and then name three things that require special processing.”  _ he was enjoying this way too much. 

_ “You know what? I hate you! Motorized scooters, coin-operated machines, and...vehicle batteries?”  _ she chuckled. 

_ “Are you asking me or telling me boot?”  _ he replied, as he played his next card. 

_ “Telling you. And also, draw 4!”  _ Lucy laughed. 

_ “Ok. But first, what’s the policy on relationships between officers?”  _ Tim asked nonchalantly, his eyes locked on her. 

Lucy’s smile dropped. She froze, staring at him in shock, like a deer in headlights, no idea what to say or how to respond. 

Slowly, she dropped the cards from her hand to the table and began to get up to leave. 

_ “Um. I’m just gonna...I should uh...I’ve got to...grab something from my room.”  _

Lucy awkwardly rushed out of the room. 

Then it hit Tim what he had just asked. 

He made a dash for the guest bedroom, and found the door locked. He knocked softly. 

_ “Uh, hey Lucy? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by that question. Seriously, ok? It was just the first thing that popped into my head. Can we talk?”  _

There was no response. 

_ “Ok then...I’ll be out in the...living room with Kojo. Just come out whenever you’re ready.”  _

A few minutes later, after the initial shock wore off, Lucy emerged from the bedroom and came out to sit beside him on the couch. 

_ “So, uh, did you want to finish the game? And to answer your last question; all employees should avoid situations which give rise to an actual or apparent conflict between their professional responsibilities and their relationships with other employees. However, should such a situation develop, it is the duty of the involved employees to immediately notify their commanding officer either in person or through the chain‑of‑command. It then becomes the responsibility of that commanding officer to take appropriate action to eliminate the conflict keeping the best interest of both the employees and the Department in mind.”  _ she recited the whole policy from memory. 

Tim stared at her in shock. 

_ “You mean to tell me you memorized all that? I don’t even remember all that.”  _ he shook his head before mumbling under his breath,  _ “Clearly.”  _

Lucy raised an eyebrow. 

_ “What’s that supposed to mean? Is there something you want to tell me Tim?”  _ she asked. 

He shook his head. 

_ “It’s nothing. I was...referring to Isabel. There was clearly some unreported conflict there.”  _ he explained. 

Lucy smiled sympathetically. 

_ “That’s in the past and you know it. Now come on, I want to play Uno. I’ve got to finish beating you.”  _ she teased. 

_ “I think you mean cheating. Because I’m clearly going to win.”  _ he grinned. 

_ “In your dreams blondie!”  _ she shot back. 

A few more rounds, and several Draw 2s, wild cards, and skips/reverses later, along with the accompanying quizzes and recited penal codes, Lucy excitedly shouted. 

“ _ UNO!!!” _

_ “No way! You just had, like half a deck of cards in your hand. How’s that even possible?”  _ Tim asked in disbelief. 

Lucy gestured towards his hand. 

_ “Uh, maybe because you’ve now got that half deck of cards in  _ **_your_ ** _ hand.”  _ she giggled. 

Tim glared at her and laid a card down. 

_ “Ooh! Yes!!! Blue!”  _ she squealed, tossing her card down, “ _ I win!”  _

_ “Whatever you say. We should probably think about having some dinner sometime soon. I could fix something if you want, or we could order something. It’s up to you boot, you won the game!”  _

_ “Ooh! How about pizza? Mmm, a margherita pizza sounds good!”  _ she answered. 

Tim picked up the phone and called his favorite pizza place and ordered a margherita pizza and some breadsticks.

It arrived half an hour later and they ate and watched a movie. 

Before long, it was getting late and they decided to go to bed. 

Lucy hadn’t had much trouble sleeping the night before, but she had also been so much more tired than tonight. 

Laying awake, She looked around the dark room. The faint glow of the hall light peeked through the bottom of the door. It was a small comfort, but she still felt the overwhelming anxiety creeping over her. 

She wrapped herself in the comforter, almost as if she was trying to swaddle herself, and curled into a ball. 

Closing her eyes, she forced herself to at least try to fall asleep. When she couldn’t, she texted Jackson. 

_ Hey. It’s too dark and I can’t sleep. But I don’t want to bother Tim, and he’ll worry if he sees I turned the light back on. What do I do?  _

She waited, hopeful he’d text her back fairly quickly, which he did. 

_ Just breathe. Tim is there. You’re 100% safe. Can Cojo come sleep with you?  _

Lucy took a few deep breaths and got herself calmed down just enough to finally get to sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How’d you all enjoy Tim and Lucy’s first day? Also, I got the idea for Lady Marmalade being Tim’s favorite song from 2x14 when he called L.A Clear and it’s one of his answers to the personal questions they asked. 
> 
> Anyways, don’t forget to leave feedback in the comments or with kudos if you’d like and I’ll be posting a couple more chapters soon!


	3. Coffee, Dogs, and The Great TV Debate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy and Tim both get surprise wake-up calls, by the same sweet fur ball named Kojo. Also, making the morning coffee goes wrong for Lucy, and later they try to pick something to watch...bickering and teasing ensues!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok. I’m posting this chapter and then I’ll wait a few days before posting more! Again, thank you for all the amazing comments, feedback, and encouragement! Like I said, I wasn’t feeling as good about this fic as others I’ve written, so I’m really glad you all like it! Hopefully you’ll like the rest of it too!!

**Chapter 3: Coffee, Dogs, and the Great TV Debate**

Tim was startled awake around 5:30 by Kojo suddenly launching off his stomach and rushing to the door, frantically whimpering and barking, scratching at it.

Groggily, Tim climbed from the comfort of his bed, rubbing blurred sleepiness from his eyes with a yawn and grabbing his gun from the nightstand.

_ “You better have a really good reason for waking me up this early bud. Because I know you don’t need to go out for at least another hour.”  _ he grumbled, giving Kohl’s head a scratch as he opened the door. 

Kojo took off and Tim followed close behind. 

He noticed a soft glow and saw an arm flung over the back of the couch. 

Then, almost in slow motion, Tim saw Kojo take a running leap onto the couch. 

_ “Kojo! NONONONONO!!”  _ he cringed as Lucy shot up, coughing and groaning in pain. 

_ “Mmmph. Oh my god! What the hell?”  _ she shouted in surprise. 

_ “I could ask the same thing? What’re you doing out here? There’s a guest bedroom, you know. With a bed.”  _ he asked, slightly concerned, but mostly annoyed that he was woken up so early on a day off. 

_ “I’m fine, thanks for your concern. I only had a 50+ pound dog body slam me awake. Anyways, I couldn’t sleep because it was too dark in the bedroom, and I didn’t want to turn a light on because then it would be too bright and then I still wouldn’t be able to sleep. So long story short, I figured the tv would give me just the right amount of light, so I decided to lay out here. I didn’t, however, count on Kojo here having a Lucy sensor and waking you up.”  _ she explained apologetically. 

They were already 4 days into the quarantine, yet she still couldn’t bring herself to be completely honest with Tim, to explain to him that it wasn’t just that the room was too dark. That it was also too unfamiliar, too quiet, too small (even though it was, in fact, a decent amount larger than her own bedroom). That the walls seemed to inch closer and closer together each night, and the darkness felt as though it was going to swallow her whole. 

_ “I’m not mad Lucy. You seemed like you were sleeping pretty well out here and Kojo looks like he’s made himself comfortable, so I’ll just head back to bed. I’ll leave the door open so he can come back in later if he wants. If you need anything…”  _ he gestured in the general direction of his room before turning and tiredly walking back to it and climbing back into bed. 

12:00 P.M

Neither of them had intended on sleeping this late, but after the early morning wake-up call, courtesy of Kojo, they had both been out cold. 

Lucy was first to wake up. She rolled off the couch and shuffled over to let Kojo out to the backyard before fixing a pot of coffee.

_ “Do I smell coffee, boot?”  _

She spun around to find Tim standing just a few feet behind her, still in the sweats and Rams shirt she assumed he’d worn to bed.

_ “Yeah. But Jackson usually makes it though, so I’m not sure how great it’s actually going to be.”  _ she grinned. 

_ “Well good news Lucy, I’m almost certain that there is no way you could possibly mess up coffee, especially at my house. I’ve got pretty high quality grounds and the coffee maker is pretty solid too, it’ll be fine.”  _

Lucy poured a cup and handed it to him. 

He took a sip and choked.

_ “Jesus, Luce. Did you dump the grounds straight into the water? I mean it tastes great, it’s just...crunchier than I expected. You’ve done the impossible, you’ve messed up coffee.”  _ he teased, making over-exaggerated chewing motions. 

Lucy rolled her eyes. 

_ “Ok. So I might have spilled some of the grounds when I poured them in, but I wouldn’t say I ‘messed up’ the coffee. I’ll just pour it out and make a fresh pot.”  _ she scoffed,  _ “And did you just call me Luce?”  _ she added, a bit stunned. 

_ “No. No, I said Lucy. And It’s fine. You start on breakfast, I’ll make a fresh pot of coffee.”  _ he told her, accidentally using his T.O voice. 

She shrugged and opened the fridge and freezer, scanning the shelves trying to figure out what she could make. 

_ “How do eggs and hash browns sound? I could fry up this bacon in here too if you want!”  _ she said, turning to Tim with everything in her arms. 

_ “Uh. Yeah. Sounds great!”  _ Tim muttered as he fumbled with the coffee maker. 

_ “Ok. Great! Um...where’s the pans...and a spatula...and seasonings?”  _ She asked, opening and closing different cabinets and drawers before Tim huffed and opened a couple cabinets and one of the drawers. 

_ “Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and some steak seasoning, you really cook a lot huh?”  _ Lucy playfully smirked. 

_ “You know what Chen? I actually love to cook, but I never really get the chance. I’m usually too tired by the time I get home, what with having to train you 12 hours a day, almost everyday. It’s quite a task, you know..”  _ he teased. 

_ “Yeah. Whatever Bradford. You do realize that it’s waaay more exhausting having to deal with  _ **_you_ ** _ 12 hours a day, right? And besides, you enjoy training me and you know it!”  _ she glared at him before a grin spread across her face. 

“ _ Yep. Ok. Whatever you say Boot. Coffee should be ready soon. I’m gonna go get dressed while you work on breakfast.”  _ he replied, amused.

  
  


A few hours later, breakfast had been eaten, coffee drank, and Tim and Lucy sat on the couch, bickering over what to watch. 

_ “We are NOT watching Chicago P.D Lucy. We’re cops. It’s a cop show. And while I’m sure it’s great, we’d both tear it apart in 10 seconds. None of those shows ever show accurate policing.”  _ Tim objected. 

_ “Fine. But we’re not gonna sit here and watch football all day either! What about Grey’s Anatomy?”  _ Lucy conceded. 

_ “Veto. If I wanted to watch a soap opera, I’d turn on Days of Our Lives. I Love Lucy?” _ he countered. 

_ “First off, since when are we allowed to veto? And second, I Love Lucy? What are we, 80 years old? It’s a great show, a classic, but c’mon Tim, seriously? Or were you trying to tell me something?”  _ she teased. 

Tim gaped in shock. 

_ “WE aren’t allowed to veto. Just me. It’s my house, my tv, so I have unlimited veto power. And I was talking about the show. Nothing else. Now, I’m turning it back to the game.”  _ he started to switch off Hulu when Lucy made a grab for the remote. 

_ “No! We are NOT watching football. I don’t care if it is your house. There’s got to be a show we can both agree on. Ooh! What about Friends? Or Scrubs?!”  _ Lucy exclaimed as she fought for the remote, trying desperately to free it from Tim’s remarkably strong grip. 

_ “Chen! If you don’t let go of my hand...and the remote right now you’re going to be outside running laps around the house.”  _ he yelled, making his best efforts to shove her away. 

_ “No! I’m not letting go until you promise we won’t watch football. Please Tim? Don’t make me call Angela for backup!”  _ she whined. 

Tim groaned, sighed, and rolled his eyes. 

_ “Fine. You win. So, what’s it going to be, Friends or Scrubs? Seinfeld is good too!”  _ he conceded.

Tim noticed that it had been getting harder and harder to say no to Lucy. And he’d come to realize that he would do anything, as long as she was happy, even give up football for a day!

Lucy let go of the remote and perked up. 

_ “YES! I knew I’d break you eventually! What if we alternated between the three, like maybe we watch an episode of Friends, an episode of Scrubs, an episode of Seinfeld, then another episode of Friends, and rinse, wash, repeat, until we get tired of it!”  _ she suggested excitedly. 

_ “Yeah, ok. That’s actually a...not bad idea.”  _ he grumbled. 

Several hours and several episodes later, Tim had fallen asleep and Lucy had resorted to scrolling through her Instagram as an episode of Scrubs played in the background. 

Lucy’s stomach grumbled loudly. 

She gently tapped Tim’s shoulder. 

_ “Tim? Hey. Tim?”  _ she whispered. 

His eyes flashed open and he sat up in a panic. 

_ “What? What’s wrong Lucy? Are you ok? What’s going on?”  _ he asked anxiously. 

She placed a hand on his shoulder. 

_ “Relax. I’m fine. Everything’s ok. It’s just that it’s almost 8:00 and I’m starving. I was going to see if you wanted to order some food. I was thinking maybe sushi? Or Thai?”  _ Lucy told him, immediately calming his nerves. 

Relief washed over Tim’s face. 

_ “Thai sounds good. I like the Orange Chicken with the spicy fried rice.”  _ he sleepily told her.. 

_ “Ok. I’ll go ahead and order then. You can get back to your nap now.”  _ she smiled. 

Lucy was halfway through another episode of Friends when she heard a knock on the front door. She assumed it was their food and grabbed her purse as she rushed to the door. 

Upon opening the door, she found, not a delivery person, but instead, a masked up Jackson, with a small Target bag in his hand behind the still closed storm door.

_ “Hey roomie! I’d invite you in but we’re supposed to be quarantining! Anyways, this is a nice surprise! So, what brings you by, and what’s in the bag?”  _ she questioned, opening the door a crack to reach out and grab it from him.

_ “Hey Luce! It’s only been 2 days, but I feel like I haven’t seen you in a year!”  _ he exclaimed, thrusting the bag towards her,  _ “And this is for you. Tim texted this morning and asked me to pick up a night light. Something about the guest bedroom being dark at night and him being worried it might be too dark for you. I don’t really know, but I got you a really cool LED globe one! I think you can even change the colors on it. I was going to get the Frozen Elsa one, but they were sold out.”  _ he told her. 

Lucy laughed. 

_ “Aww! Bummer. I think the Frozen night light would have really matched Tim’s aesthetic! Thanks Jackson! It was great to see you. I cannot wait to come back to work, and to be back in my own apartment!”  _ she waved as he walked back towards his car. “ _ Oh, tell Nolan and Harper and Lopez I said hi!”  _ she added as he got into the driver’s seat. 

Shortly after he left, the food came. 

She and Tim ate, watched some more episodes of the various shows, and finally decided to go to bed around midnight. 

Lucy started to open the bedroom door when she turned back to Tim, who was still by the couch, turning the tv and sound system off. 

_ “Hey Tim?”  _ she called out softly.

_ “Yeah?”  _

_ “Um. Thanks.. I was kind of embarrassed about it at first, but I really appreciate it. I just...thought I’d gotten past...my fear of the dark...the claustrophobia. It’s been almost 4 months now. I don’t know how I’d have ever gotten through any of this without you, so thank you. See you in the morning.”  _ she murmured. 

Tim smirked. 

_ “No problem boot. But I only did that so you wouldn’t wake Kojo and I up, coming out to the couch in the middle of the night.”  _ he teased  _ “Goodnight Lucy. If you need anything, you know where to find me.” _

Lucy nodded and walked into the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. 

She took the night light out of its box and put the batteries Jackson had also bought, into it and turned it on before carefully placing it on the bedside table and turning the other light off. 

Tim took Kojo out one last time for the night before going to bed himself. 

Lucy laid in bed reading a few chapters of one of the books her therapist had recommended in her most recent session. 

Tim laid silently, stiff and on edge. His eyes, dulled and glazed over, stared up at the light beige ceiling. 

Lucy effortlessly drifted off to sleep, the book falling from her hand and off to the other side of the bed, as her breaths grew softer and lighter. 

Tim tossed and turned, unable to get comfortable in his own bed, which he could normally fall into and instantly be met with the sweet release of sleep. He forced his eyes shut and fell into a restless sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok. So I’m thinking I’ll probably post a couple more chapters Sunday and then a couple more maybe Wednesday and/or Thursday.
> 
> All of your comments are very much appreciated and I’ve read every single one of them! 
> 
> Feel free to leave any comments or feedback you may have on this chapter if you want!! 
> 
> Thank you all again for reading this story!!


	4. The Game and the “Game!”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim forces Lucy to watch a football game, so to make it a bit more fun, Lucy creates a little game of her own, involving copious amounts of alcohol. Also, Tim learns drunk Lucy=talky, flirty Lucy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok. Let me start by apologizing for this chapter in advance...I got a little carried away while writing it and it very much goes off the rails lol, especially with a couple of the things Lucy says to Tim; one of the times being when she’s drunk and the other when she’s completely sober at the beginning of the chapter!! 
> 
> Also, just FYI, this chapter skips ahead a few days, so the story goes from about Day 2 to Day 5, just because I felt like it helped with the flow of the story.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy, and again, I’m so sorry for this chapter (but not really 😂😂)

**Chapter 4: The game and the “game!”**

Lucy woke up around 9:30. It was the fifth day of the quarantine. They were halfway through it and she had slept better than she had in weeks and was well-rested and full of energy as a result. 

She started a pot of coffee and ordered doughnuts from Right Start Bakery, the place Tim had so geniusly saved from a money laundering scheme by making it the LAPD go-to for coffee and pastries.

The scrumptious treats arrived about half an hour later and she immediately ate the chocolate iced, raspberry jam-filled doughnut. 

Tim wasn’t up yet, which was kind of odd to her, but she chalked it up to them staying up relatively late the last two nights. 

Nevertheless, Lucy quietly slipped into his room to wake him up. 

He rolled over to face away from the door as a narrow stream of light hit his face when Lucy opened it, groaning and grumbling. 

_“Hey, it’s just me. I just thought I’d let you know that it’s almost 10:30. And there’s doughnuts from Nevin’s bakery out in the kitchen!_

Then it hit him that Lucy was standing in his bedroom. And he was in nothing but a pair of boxers under the covers...he was practically naked. He pulled the blanket and sheets tighter around his body and pushed himself upright, propping up against a pillow, as he cleared his throat and fidgeted with the sheets clutched in his hands.

_“BOOT! You’ve got exactly 10 seconds to get OUT of my room!”_ he barked. 

He could feel the heat building in his cheeks and ears. 

Lucy smirked and decided to have a bit of fun. 

_“What? You hiding something under that blanket Bradford? Is it one of those men’s sleep shirt nightgown things?”_ she gasped _“Or do you not have clothes on under there at all?”_ she laughed. 

Tim’s already bright red face got even redder, which didn’t get past Lucy. 

_“Oh. My. God. TIM BRADFORD!! Do you sleep...IN THE NUDE?”_ she giggled. 

Annoyed and admittedly a bit embarrassed and flustered he bit his tongue and begrudgingly answered her. 

_“Not ‘in the nude.’ For your information...I...I have boxers on.”_ he scoffed, trying (and failing) to hide a devilish grin, “ _And this is a highly inappropriate conversation to be having with your T.O, Officer Chen, so I suggest you turn around and walk out of this room...right now!”_ he frowned, desperately trying to maintain some level of professionalism between them. 

_“OUT!”_ he shouted, glaring at her. 

Lucy smugly smiled, amused. 

_“Ok. Ok, I’m leaving. But in case you’ve forgotten, I have seen you shirtless, literally only covered by a towel...that time I caught you at Rachel’s house the day you lost our bet, so it’s not really_ **_that_ ** _big of a deal.”_ she shrieked and squealed as Tim chucked a pillow across the room, narrowly missing her as she finally ran out of the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her. 

Tim tossed the covers off, kicking them down to the end of the bed as he finally got up to get dressed. 

He quickly rinsed off in the shower, brushed his teeth, ran a comb through his damp hair, rubbed on some deodorant, grabbed his lightly faded grey jeans out of the drawer, pulled them on, and slid his Rams jersey off its hanger and slipped it on over his head. 

Finally, about 20 minutes later he emerged from his room and proceeded to the kitchen for a doughnut and some coffee before going to sit on the couch. 

Lucy apparently hadn’t heard him come out. She jumped, startled, as entered the living room and sat down next to her. 

_“OH! DAMMIT! Tim! You scared the hell out of me! How were you even that quiet? I didn’t hear you walk in, like, at all! Maybe you should be Special Ops instead of patrol.”_ she gasped, trying to calm her nerves a little. 

_“A little jumpy are we? Maybe you should be a little more observant. Always be aware of your surroundings...cop eyes, remember, Officer Chen?”_

_“Nolan rubbing off on you with his ‘teachable moments’?”_ she sassily grinned. 

Tim wrinkled his nose, scrunching his whole face in annoyance. 

_“Yeah, no. Just...no.”_ he dismissively replied, shaking his head. 

_“What? You have some sort of problem with Nolan?”_ she teased, growing for full effect. 

_“No. No, of course not. He’s just...I don’t know. There’s just…”_ he nervously fumbled. 

_“Relax. I’m just messing with you Tim!”_ Lucy giggled. 

_“You know what? I hate you Lucy. You know that?”_ he scowled. 

Lucy just grinned smugly. 

_“Yeah, you and I both know that’s just not true! You love me! I’m a naturally loveable person! And even if you didn’t, there’s still no way you would hate me! We’re friends.”_ she told him nonchalantly. 

Tim rolled his eyes, glared at her, and grabbed for the remote. 

He turned the tv and surround sound system on before quickly flipping through the channels and finding the Rams pregame show. 

_“Seriously? Is this really what we’re about to sit here and do all day? Watch football? Can’t you DVR it or something?”_ Lucy groaned almost immediately. 

Tim’s jaw just about hit the floor.

_“What? You don’t just DVR a football game. Seriously boot, come on!”_ he griped in disbelief. 

Lucy huffed. 

_“So we really are going to watch football all day?”_ she whined. _“Why?”_ she pouted. 

“ _I’m sure you could find something else to do while I watch. You could always study your Rook book! Maybe do some cleaning, since you_ **_have_ ** _been staying here for almost a week now...might want to glove up though!”_ he shrugged, grinning deviously. 

Lucy glared at him. 

_“I’m still mad at you for that!”_ Lucy grumbled, recalling the day he’d taught her the D.E.A.R method when she had become all too familiar with the “repulsive” portion.

Then an idea popped into her head. 

_“Ooh! We could turn this football game into a drinking game! Got any tequila? Ooh, or Malibu? How about both?”_

Amused (and a little intrigued), Tim got up and walked out to the kitchen, to one of the cabinets. 

He pulled out a bottle of whiskey, some tequila, rum (regular and Malibu), and a small bottle of vodka. He also grabbed two shot glasses. 

_“Ok. So, what exactly does this “game” entail?_ Tim questioned as he carried everything back out to the small coffee table. 

Lucy smirked mischievously. 

_“Ok. So, we both take a shot of our liquor of choice: at kickoff, when the Rams score, at the end of every quarter, when the Rams get their first first down of each quarter, and if the Rams win. You take a shot: when there’s a flag on the play, the refs miss a call, or if you have to explain a rule to me. Finally, I take a shot: Whenever you complain about a bad call, if the Rams fumble, and if the Rams lose.”_

Tim stared at her in disbelief and shock. 

_“Damn. We’ll be plastered before the end of the first quarter...or at least you will. There is no way this ends well. But I’m game if you are.”_

The game started a little less than two hours later. 

Tim and Lucy both downed their first shots as the Rams kicked off. 

Not even 10 minutes into the game a flag was thrown and a first down was overruled.

_“OH COME ON!! THAT’S A FIRST DOWN! YOU’VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!”_ Tim exclaimed. 

Lucy poured her tequila shot and held up the whiskey bottle to Tim. 

_“Drink up!”_ she giggled as she raised her shot glass, filled to the brim. 

He held his glass out to her and she poured. 

They both threw back their shots together. 

No more than 2 minutes later The Rams scored. 

Tim jumped up in celebration. 

_“YES!! WAY TO GO AKERS!! TOUCHDOWN!!”_ he shouted. 

Lucy didn’t hesitate. 

_“SHOTS BABY!!”_ she excitedly squealed, reaching for Tim’s whiskey and the Malibu rum. 

Tim looked at her and laughed. 

Lucy did her shot of Malibu and handed Tim his whiskey. 

They turned their attention back to the game. 

Mere seconds later, the announcer’s voice rang out. 

_“OH NO! THE RAMS FUMBLE IT!”_

Lucy smiled, poured more Malibu into her glass, and threw back her fourth shot. 

Tim gaped at her and chuckled again before turning his attention back to the game once more. 

Right before the end of the quarter, a bright yellow flag flew out onto the field. 

_“Oh come on! You call the pass interference but NOT the damn false start? Seriously?”_ he fumed. 

Lucy slyly grinned. 

_“Ooh! That’s a twofer! Bottoms up Bradford!”_ her laugh filled the entire house. 

_“Um. I believe you’ve got a shot to take too!”_ Tim taunted, pouring her a shot of tequila. 

_“Toss it back, boot!”_ he smugly grinned. 

By the time they both paid up, the quarter had ended. 

_“THAT’S THE QUARTER! SHOT TIME TIM!”_ Lucy yelled, pouring them both yet another round. 

Lucy was getting pretty tipsy at this point and Tim was beyond buzzed.

Then the second quarter started and they took their kickoff shots. 

Shortly thereafter, the Rams got their first first down of the quarter which meant another shot. Then they scored another touchdown. 

Tim was still doing pretty well, despite the copious amount of whiskey he’d consumed so far. 

Lucy, on the other hand, was on the brink of passing out and based on the greenish tint to her face, on the verge of puking her guts out as well. She was slumped over against Tim. 

_“Ok Luce. I’m gonna go ahead and cut you off and get you to the bathroom. Are you comfortable with me helping you?”_

Lucy snorted and smiled. 

_“Yeah. Of course I’m comfortable with you helping me. You gonna take me to bed after I hurl too? I won’t tell!”_ she giggled like a teenager talking about her latest crush, _“I’ve secretly hoped I’d get the Bradford Bedroom Experience since the day you were assigned as my T.O.”_

Tim’s jaw hit the floor. He knew Lucy had no clue what she just said...out loud...to him. 

_“On second thought, I’ll help you to the bathroom and when you’re done in there, I’ll help you back to the couch. You’d probably be more comfortable out here anyways.”_

Lucy frowned. 

_“Awww! You’re no fun. Ooh look! The Rams scored again! It’s time for another…”_ before she could finish what she was saying, Lucy gagged, retched, and began to dry-heave. 

She and Tim both jumped up to rush toward the bathroom. 

Lucy didn’t get very far before she projectile-vomited mid-stride into a small trash bin Tim had grabbed and was now holding in front of her. 

She barely caught her breath before she felt another round getting ready to hit and all but sprinted to the bathroom. 

She fell to the floor in front of the toilet, heaving into it. 

Tim held her hair back and reached for one of her hair ties on the sink to pull it into a messy bun. 

_“I’m going to go grab you some Gatorade and some Tylenol for later. I’ll put it on the nightstand by your bed. I’ll be right back.”_

Lucy weakly nodded and began heaving again. 

Tim came back a few minutes later to find her crying on the floor. 

_“Hey. Hey. What’s wrong? Talk to me Lucy. What’s going on?”_ he softly asked. 

_“I’m sorrrrrrry. I’m soooooo sorrrrry Tim. I haven’t really drank since...um...never mind.”_ she slurred through tears. 

Tim’s heart broke. He had an idea of what she was about to say. 

_“Since when. Lucy? It’s ok. You can talk to me about anything.”_ he asked sadly.

She slumped against his leg and sighed. 

_“Since...Caleb. I haven’t had any drinks since then, except maybe a beer with Jackson and John. I’m sorry, I thought I’d still be able to handle my liquor...obviously not. I’m sorrrrry.”_ she was starting to pass out, _“It felt great though. I managed to completely forget about everything for a few minutes. Then it hit me and I felt exactly how I did that night, except I’m with you and as far as I know, you don’t plan to kidnap me and bury me alive in a barrel. I’m sorrrrry Tim! You…”_ she was nearly passed out now, her words completely slurred.

Tim looped his arm under her armpit and gently hoisted her up. Her head fell against his shoulder as he walked her to the guest bed. 

He pulled the comforter and sheets down and gently laid her on the bed, adjusting the pillow so her head was elevated enough. Then he pulled the comforter up and over her body before quietly slipping out of the room. 

Tim spent the rest of the afternoon watching the end of the football game (he’d missed the end of the 2nd quarter and most of the 3rd, and normally he’d be annoyed, but c’mon...there was no way he could be mad at Lucy!).

He did a few more shots as per the rules of Lucy’s “game,” ate some dinner, and went to bed around 10:30, stopping to check in on Lucy and turn on her night light on the way to his room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, um...what did you think? How did you like The “game” Tim and Lucy played? 
> 
> And again, I’m so sorry...I got so carried away with this chapter but also thought it was hilarious when I read through it after I finished writing it😂😂 
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Don’t forget to leave feedback/comments if you want!! 
> 
> I’ll post another chapter at some point today when I wake up...it’s currently a little after 12 a.m where I’m at, but I wanted to post a chapter before I went to bed!


	5. Training Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy has a little bit of a hangover and Tim decides to have a little fun. Then they do a little training and have a little fun!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the chapter I ended up re-writing like 5 times and I still don’t know how I feel about it. 
> 
> Anyways, I hope it’s ok and you enjoy it.

**Chapter 5: Training Day**

The sunshine peeking through the windows and drenching the room in light hit Lucy like a thousand tiny hammers. Her head felt like it had been split open and the incessant pounding sensation was enough to make her nauseous again. 

She rolled over and pulled the blanket over her face with a groan. 

Tim, on the other hand, had largely avoided such a hangover and had been up for a few hours already. 

He’d decided to let Lucy sleep in a little bit before having some fun. 

He quietly snuck into her room and over to the window. Then he threw open the curtains, letting maximum sunlight into the room and went over and pulled the blanket off of Lucy’s face.

“ _Up and at ‘em Chen! We’ve got two days worth of training to make up for today! Pop some Advil, chug that Gatorade and drag your ass out of bed!”_ he shouted, a huge grin on his face. 

Lucy winced and slowly sat up, clutching her throbbing head. 

_“Mmmph! What the hell? Oh god...my head. What happened?”_ she groaned. 

Tim just grinned, barely containing his laughter. 

_“What happened is you can’t handle your liquor. You didn’t even make it to halftime Lucy. And because of you, I missed almost the second half of the game yesterday. You spent half an hour puking, then you spent another 45 minutes crying on the bathroom floor...apologizing to me for crying on my bathroom floor. After that I had to practically carry you to bed. I’m never drinking with you again Chen.”_ he teased. 

_“Oh my god Tim. I’m so sorry. I hope I didn’t...you know...cross any lines or anything. Drunk Lucy tends to get a bit...talkative...and flirty...and unfortunately...brutally honest. So if I said or did anything…_ ” Lucy worriedly began, cringing, before Tim cut her off.

_“Ok. I’m gonna stop you right there. You may have said a few...things. But you were pretty much completely wasted, so it’s not a big deal, ok.”_ he assured her. 

He didn’t want to bring up what she had said about Caleb, not because he was afraid she couldn’t handle it, but because he couldn’t bear to see the pain and anguish that had been painted across her face when she had confided in him last night again. And he sure as hell wasn’t bringing up...other things she had said. 

Lucy frowned. She wanted to argue, to make him tell her what she had said, but she was definitely not in fighting condition at the moment. She’d have to remember to get it out of him later. 

Tim picked up the Advil and handed it to her before picking up the Gatorade and extending it out to her. 

_“Here. Take these. They’ll help with that splitting headache you’re pretending you don’t have.”_ he grinned smugly. 

She swallowed the pills, flopped back down and rolled over, re-covering her face with the blanket. 

Tim just stood, shaking his head. 

Then, out of nowhere, the shrill sound of an alarm on Tim’s phone he’d forgotten to turn off, shattered the mostly silent room. 

It was an awful combination of what Tim thought sounded like a hockey goal horn and the alert tone they’d heard a few months back during the false ballistic missile warning. 

He didn’t immediately shut it off. Lucy flew up out of the bed. 

_“TIM!! WHAT IN THE ACTUAL HELL?? UGH. My head feels like it might actually explode...GOD... TIM...WOULD YOU TURN THAT OFF?!?”_

Tim cackled. 

_“You get up, I’ll turn it off.”_ he stared her down. 

She glared at him. 

_“Turn it off. Please. I’m getting up. See?”_ Lucy half-heartedly smiled as she stood up and sent a less than cheery message to him via middle finger. 

_“Wow. Did I see that right? Did Lucy Chen just flip me the bird?”_

_“Oh you saw it right. Now get out or you’ll see a whole lot worse._ ” Lucy sneered. _“I hate you so much, you know that?”_ she added with a grin as she shooed him out the door. 

_“Yeah, ok. Whatever. I’m not sure hate’s the right word for it though boot.”_ he grinned as she slammed the door in his face. 

Lucy downed the rest of the Gatorade, found a pair of leggings and a sweater, put them on, and finally shuffled out to the kitchen for some coffee and breakfast. 

She sat down next to Tim on the couch, who immediately jumped up and moved to one of the chairs. 

_“What, afraid I’ll make you do more shots or something there Bradford?”_ she asked, giggled. 

Tim nervously tried to think of an excuse. 

_“Nah. I’m not the one who couldn’t hold their tequila and rum. I just...think we should keep things a bit more professional...after...yeah, no, never mind. I just want to sit in this chair? Is that a problem?”_

Lucy looked at him, not buying his lame attempt at an excuse. 

_“Uh Uh. You started to say something. You think we should keep things a bit more professional after what Tim? Did something happen while I was drunk? Was it something I said...or...oh no...something I...did?”_ she questioned _._

Tim absolutely did not, under any circumstances want to tell her what she had said yesterday. 

_“No. You didn’t do anything. I swear. It’s just, I don’t think it’s very professional for us, as T.O and rookie, to be doing shots and getting plastered together. God knows what could happen. I don’t want to risk anything. So, I think we should maybe keep our distance.”_ he sighed. Distance was the last thing he’d ever want from Lucy. 

_“You do realize you were literally just in my bedroom. And I was in yours like, yesterday. So I don’t think getting drunk together was the most unprofessional thing we’ve done. Also, I’m your rookie and you’re still a tremendous pain in my ass, so the odds of anything happening between us are pretty much non-existent. Now, get back over on this couch...I know how uncomfortable those chairs are.”_ Lucy responded before patting the empty spot next to her. _“Now, let’s watch something.”_

  
  


_“I don’t think so. You think I was joking about those two days of training you've gotta make up, boot?”_ he interjected, swiping the remote from her hand. 

_“What? How exactly are you supposed to train me? I’m pretty sure field training isn’t something you can just do at home. Did you steal the shop and some criminals or something?”_ she asked, confused. 

Tim scowled at her. 

_“Seriously? Are you underestimating my T.O abilities? I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeves, ok? Now, are you ready to get to work, boot?”_ he asked, his T.O voice now in full force. 

Lucy immediately startled to attention, sitting up as straight as she could on the couch. 

_“Yes sir. So, what exactly are we about to do?”_ she asked, now in full rookie mode. 

Tim relaxed slightly, allowing Lucy to do the same. 

_“Alright. First, you’re going to practice clearing rooms. Go outside, wait a minute, and then make entry. Once inside, you’ll need to clear every single room in this house, got it?”_ he instructed her, _“And I know you can’t wear your belt off-duty and you’re obviously not about to use a real gun, so we’re going to improvise.”_ he told her, reaching for something he’d hidden under the couch and tossing it into her lap

Lucy looked the belt over before looking up and staring at him incredulously.

_“You’re_ **_not_ ** _serious. And I’m not even going to ask_ **_why_ ** _or_ **_how_ ** _you’ve got a toy police belt. Ooh! Was it some sort of weird fetish of Rachel’s or something? Or does Officer Bradford have a kinky side?”_ she teased. 

Tim just glared at her. 

_“OFFICER CHEN! That was highly inappropriate. I am your SUPERIOR OFFICER. This is_ **_NOT_ ** _something we discuss. But no. The belt was a gag gift from Lopez after I got the Sergeant’s exam results. She thought it was hilarious. I thought it was a waste of money. Now put it on and get ready.”_

She nodded. 

_“Oh, and I may or may not be hiding in one of the rooms, so take from that what you will. Good Luck Officer Chen.”_ he said.

Lucy stepped outside, pulled out the neon green plastic gun and stood for a minute before knocking on the door.

_“LAPD! Open up!”_ she looked around, taking note of her surroundings, unsurprised at the lack of concerned neighbors, she’d shown up at Tim’s front door enough the past few months for them to recognize her. 

She knocked once more. 

_“LAPD! Open up!”_ she shouted, before moving to check for windows or any other opening she could see into the house through. 

Tim hadn’t made it easy, of course. He’d pulled all the blinds and curtains shut and turned out most of the lights she could see from the outside. 

So instead, she moved back towards the door, carefully turning the handle and finding it unlocked. 

“ _LAPD_!” she called out upon entry, scanning the entire living room area before sweeping her way across the room and into the kitchen. 

_“Clear!”_ Lucy shouted. 

She got to the hallway and surveyed it up and down before proceeding. 

_“LAPD!”_ she called out again, only to be met with more silence. 

She came up to the first door and slowly opened it, peering in before bursting inside and clearing it. 

_“Clear!”_

She did the same at the next door, which she knew led to the guest bathroom. 

_“Clear!”_

Next, she inched towards the hall closet, cleared it and moved on to the linen closet, clearing it as well. 

Then Lucy approached Tim’s door. She half expected him to be hiding inside, but intuitively, she knew better, that would be way too obvious. 

_“Clear!”_

After clearing the bedroom, she entered the en suite bathroom, cautiously searching every visible inch, even opening the shower door and giving it a once over. 

She sighed. 

_“Clear!”_ Lucy once again shouted as turned to walk back out to the bedroom. 

Before she realized what was happening, she heard footsteps rushing towards her from behind, then a set of strong arms wrapped around her, lifting her off the floor. 

Lucy’s training kicked in all at once and her foot slammed into his knee, her elbow crashed into his ribs, and she landed one final kick to his shin before taking Tim down to the ground 

_“OOOF! OW! DAMN! LUCY! Where the hell did you learn THAT from?”_ Tim exclaimed as he caught his breath and pulled himself up off the ground. 

_“I believe you taught me that particular move Bradford.”_ she grinned. 

Lucy had executed a nearly perfect search of the house, clearing every room flawlessly, despite actually taking down Tim when he leapt out of the en suite bathroom and “ambushed” her. 

_“Solid work Officer Chen. Although you know it was just training...you didn’t actually have to kick my ass like that! My back, rib, and knee are really paying the price for that “ambush.”_ he praised her, wincing with every step he took. 

Lucy felt terrible that she’d hurt Tim, but she also couldn’t help but laugh at him as he limped over to the couch. 

_“I’m so sorry. But you know, you’re the one who taught me that move, right? And I honestly thought the carpet would soften the blow. I guess this means the rest of the day’s activities are cancelled?”_ she grinned. 

_“Not a chance. Next we’re reviewing de-escalation.”_ he answered, unamused. 

_“Yeah, ok. I took a couple classes on that in the academy, but I could probably use a refresher! Wait...what’s the catch? I know you’re not about to just sit here and quiz me...so how are we doing this?”_ Lucy nervously replied. 

_“You’re right. I’m not going to ‘just sit here and quiz you.’ We are going out to the backyard and getting some fresh L.A air. And playing a little football. It’ll be a twofer. A de-escalation refresher course and a little reflex/reaction exercise all in one!”_ Tim smirked. 

Lucy was puzzled. 

_“So...we’re going to what...throw a football around while you shout questions at me?”_ she asked. 

_“I mean yeah. Basically. But with push-ups every time you don’t catch the ball.”_ Tim shrugged. 

_“Seriously? You were literally one of the top quarterbacks in the state when you were in high school…”_ he looked at her in shock, no idea how she could have possibly known that. _“Jackson might have accidentally told me after the time you guys helped out at that football clinic last fall.”_ she explained, off his look _“Anyways, you don’t seriously expect me to catch every single one of your throws do you?”_ she scoffed in disbelief. 

_“No. Of course not. And I’m not actually making you do any push-ups. You can do those later when we do some physical training. Unless you’re not up for it.”_ he assured her. 

_“Nope. I am game for_ **_whatever_ ** _.”_ she whispered playfully, and maybe a bit more unintentionally flirty than she had intended. 

_“Really? Noted. Now, grab the ball and come on. We’ve got training to do!”_ Tim grinned. 

He opened the door and Kojo out and began doing zoomies all around the surprisingly large backyard.

The furry ball of energy kept running circles around the yard as Lucy and Tim began tossing the ball back and forth. 

_“First things first. Give me 4 signs of conflict escalation.”_ Tim called out as he threw the ball towards Lucy. 

She didn’t take her eye off the ball, hurdling her way as she quickly answered. 

_“Um. Clenching fists or tightening & untightening of the jaw; Pacing and fidgeting…” _ she jumped to catch the ball as she continued “ _Yelling or actively defying or refusing to comply with orders, change in eye contact.”_ she finished, somehow tossing a near-perfect spiral back and absolutely shocking Tim. 

_“Damn Boot! It took me months to throw a spiral like that and you just go and accidentally happen to do it!”_ he said, shaking his head in disbelief _“Just for that, give me one more sign of escalation.”_ he ordered her. 

Lucy rolled her eyes and cheekily grinned. 

_“I don’t even know how I did that! It just kind of...happened.”_ she teased _“Also, sudden change in body language or tone.”_ she added proudly. 

Tim nodded. 

_“Ok. Good. But you know this isn’t a comprehensive list, right? There are plenty of other signs that you should absolutely be familiar with, got it Chen?”_

She nodded back at him. 

_“Good. Now, what should you take into consideration when confronted with an escalating conflict?”_ he chucked the football back in Lucy’s direction. 

She caught it and answered. 

_“Why is the person acting confrontational or uncooperative/uncommunicative? Are there any mental impairments/illnesses, developmental disabilities? Is there a language barrier or any type of medical condition? Is this person under the influence of any drugs or alcohol? Are they fearful or panicked Also, is this person in any type of crisis? Could any of these be a factor in this confrontation?”_

She began to toss the ball back as Tim shifted to the right ever-so-slightly. The toss fell short...way short. 

Tim doubled over laughing. 

_“Shut up. You moved right as I threw it! Even with the best reaction time in the world, I still would have missed!”_ she half whined, half giggled. 

_“Yeah. Missed by like half an inch. Not half a mile, boot!”_ he teased _“Now, tell me how you can attempt to de-escalate a situation. And go long boot!.”_ he shouted. 

Lucy took off jogging backwards, glancing behind from time to time. 

_“Uh, well first, you want to make sure you’re calm before you even go into the situation. You also want to be aware of the situation: are there other people or objects in the room and where are the entries and exits. Then, of course you’re going to want to look as non-threatening as possible, try to make a personal connection, even just ask what their name is. And finally, you want to listen to their concerns, give them a voice, let them vent.”_ she shouted as she dove for the ball, before crashing to the ground, sliding through a small patch of mud and narrowly avoiding a head-on collision with the fence. 

Within seconds, Tim was in a dead sprint from the other side of the yard to where Lucy was now laying, trying to catch her breath and regain her composure. 

_“LUCY! Are you ok??”_ he worriedly asked as he crouched down beside her. 

_“I’m good.”_ she huffed, _“Just got the wind knocked out of me. And I had this nice mud puddle to cushion the fall.”_ she breathily laughed as she sat up. 

Lucy finally got herself back upright and turned to face Tim. 

As soon as he saw her he got a huge, goofy grin on his face. 

_“What? What’s so funny? Why are you looking at me like that?”_ she questioned. 

Tim reached up and gently wiped patches of caked on mud from Lucy’s nose and cheek. 

_“You’ve got a little something on your face...and...everywhere.”_ he chuckled. 

_“Yeah?”_ she asked, reaching down and running a couple fingers through the mud and then across his face, _“Well now you do too!”_ she boisterously laughed.

_“You are in so much trouble.”_ Tim frowned, just barely managing to avoid cracking a smile, _“Get up. We’ve got more work to do. Oh, and nice job on the de-escalation review!”_ he praised her _“I wish they pushed it more in the academy than they do now. The goal should be to de-escalate whenever possible. We should be teaching the new generation of police that too, instead of just how to reach for a weapon,”_ he sighed, holding his hand out to Lucy to help her up. 

She grabbed his hand and pulled herself back to her feet. 

_“Thanks. Yeah. I agree. And I mean, I know a lot of departments across the country are looking into it and several have implemented the training to some degree, but that’s what they should have been teaching from the start. It probably could have saved lives. I’d love to pick your brain sometime on other de-escalation techniques you’ve picked up during your years on the force. I just want to make sure I’m doing everything I can to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.”_ Lucy sighed _“Ok. I’m going to go take a shower and get cleaned up.”_

She turned to head back inside, but Tim stopped her. 

_“No you’re not. We’ve still got some PT to do. Starting with a 2-mile run.”_ he reminded her. 

_“Seriously? How are we supposed to do a two-mile run? We’re quarantined. Meaning we’re supposed to isolate from people, which is kind of hard to do out on a run...in public.”_ Lucy asked, annoyed. 

_“You think I don’t know that? Which is why we are going for a drive. Bluff Creek Trail shouldn’t be too busy right now, and I know a few secret trails around there we can run. Go change, get your shoes and a bottle of water, we’re leaving in 10!”_

Admittedly, Lucy was excited to get out of the house. It had been 6 days since the quarantine started and the farthest she’d gone was down to the curb to bring up the trash and recycling bins. 

Exactly 9 minutes later she was sitting in Tim’s truck as he backed it out of the driveway, drove down the street, and merged onto the I-10. 

_“Ooh! Let’s listen to some music!”_ Lucy exclaimed, reaching over and turning on the radio. 

Tim’s phone automatically connected to the Bluetooth. 

Immediately, Lucy heard the first notes to none other than Lady Marmalade. Then to her surprise, Tim’s high pitched, slightly off-key voice filled the trucks she began singing along.

_“..._ **_He met Marmalade down in old Moulin Rouge…”_ **

he seemingly instinctively sang, as if this was an everyday occurrence, before switching the radio back off and giving Lucy a quick, icy stare. 

_“Not a word, boot. I find out you told anyone, you’ll be cleaning the drunk tank every day until the day you retire from the LAPD, got it?”_ Tim growled. 

Lucy just laughed, still trying to process Tim Bradford, the typically quiet, reserved, tough-as-nails T.O. she’d come to know and, ok, maybe love a little bit, belting out Lady Marmalade. 

Little did he know, she’d secretly recorded a video and had already texted it to Jackson, Angela, and Nyla. 

_“Ok. Whatever. I won’t tell anyone.”_ she conceded...technically she hadn’t told anyone, she actually hadn’t said a word, just sent the video. 

Lucy grinned a bit too mischievously and Tim glared suspiciously at her before turning his focus back to the road. 

45 minutes and a whole lot of traffic later, Tim pulled off the road and parked. 

Both he and Lucy pulled their masks on, climbed from the truck, stretched thoroughly, and began their run, taking their masks off mere minutes into it. 

They followed the trail for the first mile or so before Tim ducked off to the left, Lucy close behind. 

The scenery was absolutely breathtaking and Lucy couldn’t help but pause for a moment and briefly meditate and reflect on the tranquil serenity of the nature all around them. 

_“LUCY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?”_ Tim’s shouts pierced the silence. 

_“NOTHING. I’M COMING!”_ she yelled back as she took off running again. 

In her rush to catch up to Tim, she didn’t notice herself hugging the edge of the marked trail, her right foot mere inches from a small drop-off. 

Lucy took another stride and her foot rolled off the edge, twisting and hyperextending seemingly every muscle and tendon possible. 

She shrieked in a combination of surprise and pain as she worked to keep herself from tumbling to the ground. 

_“OW! DAMMIT. DAMMIT!!”_ she hollered shrilly. 

Tim was still far enough ahead that he couldn’t hear or see her, so she was forced to slowly and gingerly put weight on it, wincing in pain with every step. 

Finally, Lucy made her way to Tim, who immediately noticed the newly acquired limp she was walking with. 

_“What happened to you, boot?”_ he asked, concerned, but overall relieved that she seemed fine, with the exception of an apparently injured foot. 

_“My foot slipped off the edge of the path. I rolled it pretty good. Might have a mild sprain. I’ll be fine, but I don’t think I’m going to be able to finish the run.”_ she assured him. 

_“So what I’m hearing is I’m going to have to carry you almost 2 miles back to the truck?”_ Tim groaned with a small grin. 

_“I mean, I’m pretty sure I can walk, as long as I don’t put all my weight on it. You are literally going to have to be my crutch…_ ” Tim rolled his eyes and Lucy giggled _“My shoulder to lean on?”_ she continued as Tim scowled at her attempt at humor _“Ok. Fine. You are absolutely no fun. Are you going to help me walk on my stupid sprained ankle or not?”_ she pouted. 

Tim glared and crossed his arms. 

_“Obviously. It’s not like I can just leave you here...Kojo would eventually start to miss you. And Jackson would notice when you don’t come back to the apartment in a few days.”_ he grinned, holding his arm out for Lucy to grab onto, _“Just lean into my arm. Put as much weight as you need to on me. Yep. That’s it. Good.”_ he said. 

_“You would never leave your favorite rookie in the woods, alone and injured. Besides, you know Kojo wouldn’t be the only one at your house missing me.”_ Lucy smiled, grimacing a couple times as she and Tom slowly took a few steps. 

_“Yeah. I guess you’re right. That houseplant you brought over would probably miss you too!”_ he teased, which was met with a playful smack on the arm from Lucy. 

_“Just...shut up and help me walk.”_ she laughed. 

Half an hour later they were back to the start of the trail, a short distance from the truck, when Tim’s foot caught on a root and tripped him, sending him crashing to the ground, and his hand skidding across a thorny patch of brush off to the side. 

Lucy somehow managed to remain on her feet, despite having been holding onto him. 

“ _Tim? Are you ok? I see a lot of blood!”_ she asked, concerned _“Here, let me take a look.”_ she commanded, grabbing his hand in hers as he climbed back to his feet, _“Oh man. That looks kind of deep. I think you’re going to need some stitches.”_ she cringed, her own hand somehow hurting just looking at his. 

Tim groaned and grumbled. 

_“We are NEVER doing this again. You know, it’s your fault really, if you wouldn’t have sprained your ankle, I wouldn’t have had to help you walk back and I would have noticed that root. I can’t take you anywhere.”_ he teased _“I guess we’re taking a detour by Shaw Memorial. Actually, I did this on purpose. I knew you’d never get that ankle checked out otherwise.”_

Lucy rolled her eyes. 

_“My hero.”_ she deadpanned. 

2 hours later, a trip to the E.R, 6 stitches for Tim, and x-rays and an ankle brace for Lucy, they finally pulled back into Tim’s driveway. 

They could hear Kojo barking excitedly as soon as they opened their doors. 

Then Lucy’s stomach grumbled, just loud enough that Tim heard it too. 

He checked the time and saw it was already 6:30. 

_“Supper is usually about 4:30, it’s way past that, we should probably get something to eat. And I think your stomach agrees.”_ he chuckled as he went to the kitchen, turned on the oven, pulled the cold pizza from the fridge and put it in to warm up on a small pizza pan.

A grinning Lucy rolled her eyes as she sat down on the couch and propped her ankle up.

_“Shut up! And supper? Really? What are you, 80 years old? Who calls dinner ‘supper’? And does literally every aspect of your life run on some ironclad schedule?”_ she laughed. 

Tim fake gasped and teasingly scoffed as he re-entered the room.

_“Ok. First of all, that is not the tone you should be taking with your T.O, Officer Chen. Second, who calls supper ‘dinner’? And finally, I served two tours in the Army, and if you didn’t have a set schedule: when to eat, when to sleep, when you’re supposed to be where, it could mean the difference between coming home in one piece or coming home seriously injured...or worse. So yeah, I tend to keep to a pretty strict schedule, because...you know what, never mind. Let’s just go get some food.”_ his bright, playful smile faded and was replaced with the same deep sadness and pain she’d seen in him only one other time, when she met Mitch the day they’d had to arrest him. She also saw the same heart-wrenching guilt and shame she’d seen all too often after her kidnapping painted across his face. 

Lucy’s heart ached seeing Tim like this. She had only been teasing him, but could tell she had struck a nerve...a memory or memories that he was very clearly not ready to talk about with her.

She felt awful about unintentionally stirring up what Tim had obviously fought hard to keep deeply hidden. 

_“So, Uh, should we watch House Hunters while we eat? I know it’s one of your favorite shows!”_ Lucy quipped, in an attempt to lighten the, now tense, mood. 

Tim rolled his eyes. 

_“Yeah. Because I definitely want to watch a freelance crayon maker and a potato mogul try to find a 3-story, 6-bedroom, 4-bathroom, open-concept house in the middle of the city, which should also have a 20-acre lot, a finished basement, Olympic swimming pool, and 12-car garage with a budget of $500,000. And oh wait, the walls are grey, but half a shade too dark, I think that’s going to be a dealbreaker! Come on! Who even watches that...besides you!”_ he ranted. 

Lucy just sat there, admiring how adorable he was when he got on a rant like this. It was absolutely hilarious and super cute all at once. She almost had to remind herself that he was still her T.O. 

Then, a few minutes later, the oven timer dinged, pulling her out of her thoughts. 

Tim jumped up and went to pull the pizza out.

Tim grabbed a couple slices for himself, before fixing a plate for Lucy so she wouldn’t have to walk on her foot. He carried it over and sat down. Lucy turned on The Great British Baking Show, which Tim surprisingly had several episodes of saved on his DVR.

Before they knew it, it was nearly 2 a.m. and they were both drifting in and out of sleep. 

Kojo, however, was a ball of energy, running around the living room before jumping onto the couch, plowing into both Tim and Lucy, and burrowing his head into Lucy’s lap. 

They were both now wide awake and decided to make their way to their respective bedrooms, with Kojo following a hobbling Lucy to her room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How’d you like it? Was it ok? This was honestly the chapter I felt least confident in but there were some things I really wanted to somehow address, and I wasn’t sure to go about it, so this is where I ended up. I really hope it was ok and not absolutely terrible. 
> 
> Also, I’ll probably post another chapter tomorrow and then two more Thursday, and then the last two chapters next Sunday!
> 
> Please feel free to leave comments/feedback if you’d like!! And thank you for reading!!


	6. Truths, Dares, and a Big Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy finds something in Tim’s cabinet, while fixing herself breakfast that surprises her and leads them to play Truth or Dare, and a big secret comes out!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big chapter ahead!!! I hope you all enjoy it!!

**Chapter 6: Truths, Dares, and a BIG Secret**

After their late night baking show binge watch, Tim and Lucy slept in. 

Tim woke up around 11 and Lucy wasn’t far behind. 

Lucy searched through the cabinets for some cereal. 

_“Cheerios...Raisin Bran...Honey Nut Cheerios...Mini Wheats…”_ her eye caught on a familiar box and her face lit up _“Boo Berry!! You’ve got Boo Berry?!? Ooh! And Count Chocula!!”_ she excitedly squealed. 

Tim shrugged indifferently. 

_“Yeah. I keep a couple boxes on hand...you know, ever since you started making impromptu late night visits after the kidnapping. I know it’s your favorite, and I wanted to have some comfort food, something familiar, here for you if you needed it. I don’t know, I wasn’t really sure how else to help. There’s some almond milk in the fridge too. You’re lactose-intolerant, right?”_

Lucy looked over at him, surprised. 

_“That’s...actually really sweet...Officer Bradford!”_ she grinned, before tilting her head, staring at him, puzzled, “ _Wait...how exactly did you know I’m lactose intolerant...or what my favorite cereal is?”_ she followed up. 

Tim leaned back on the couch, propping his feet on the coffee table. 

_“The same way I knew you’d want a veggie burger with fries and extra pickles that day at the hospital. I’m a cop. I’m trained to observe. And also, Jackson might have told me you liked Count Chocula and Boo Berry when I texted him after your first visit here.”_

Lucy tried to hide her shock. 

_“You what? Wait...what else have you done behind my back?”_ she teased. 

Tim chuckled, smirking teasingly. 

_“Like I’d ever actually tell you. You’d never let me live it all down. Besides, some things are better left unsaid.”_

A cunning look crossed Lucy’s eyes. He could tell she was scheming, but had no idea what. 

She smiled deviously. 

_“Ok. So if you won’t tell me straight forward, we’ll just have to play a little game of truth or dare!”_ Lucy told him nonchalantly. 

He should’ve known she wouldn’t give up that easily. 

_“Lucy. C’mon. You know as well as I do, there is no way that ends well!”_ He tried to convince her. 

Lucy didn’t buy his excuse. 

_“Yeah, no. It’ll be fine. We’re playing truth or dare...and you are NOT getting out of it!”_ she giggled. 

An eye roll and over dramatic sigh from Tim later, they were playing truth or dare. 

_“Fine. Truth.”_ Tim huffed as Lucy began the game. 

_“Ok. I’ll start small. If you could meet any celebrity, who would it be?”_ she asked. 

_“Easy. Tom Brady or Lady Gaga. And before you say anything, Brady’s had a hell of a career so far and he’s actually really impressive. And Gaga...well...she’s Gaga for God’s sake!! Now, truth or dare Lucy?”_ he answered.

_“Truth.”_ she confidently replied. 

_“Ok. Were you dating Nolan the first couple months of your training?”_

Lucy gaped in shock. Her eyes suddenly looked like a couple flying saucers. 

_“H..how did you know? Did Talia tell you?”_ she asked, her voice trembling. 

_“Really Lucy? You’re about as subtle as a foghorn. I figured it out on the first day, when he came running over after_ **_I_ ** _got shot and the first person he worried about was_ **_you,_ ** _despite me being the one on the ground bleeding out. He literally never took his eyes off of you. It wasn’t hard to figure out what was going on!”_ he scoffed in disbelief. 

Lucy gasped. 

_“What? I am very subtle! Talia had to have told you, because Nolan and I hid it so well...except from Talia...and Jackson...dammit...you know what, you might be onto something.”_ she chuckled. _“Now, truth or dare?”_

Tim shrugged. 

_“Let’s try dare this time.”_ he smirked. 

Lucy thought for a second. 

_“Ok. I dare you to...call Angela right now and just start singing. I don’t care what, just sing something.”_ she grinned. 

He pulled out his phone and dialed Angela. 

_“Hey Tim. You and Lucy killed each other yet?”_ she answered. 

Tim glanced at Lucy, as if he were begging for mercy before he began singing… 

**_If you like pina coladas_ **

**_And gettin’ caught in the rain_ **

**_If you’re not into yoga_ **

**_If you have half a brain!_ **

Tim went completely off key as he continued to belt out the lyrics

**_IF YOU LIKE MAKING LOVE AT MIDNIGHT_ **

**_In the dunes of the cape_ **

**_THEN I’M THE LOVE THAT YOU’VE LOOKED FOR_ **

**_Write to me and escape!!_ **

He was getting ready to start the next verse when Angela cut in. 

_“Yeah, I don’t know what in the holy hell_ **_this_ ** _is...but you should probably know...I had you on speaker...Nyla, John, and Jackson all just heard...whatever that was. And Nyla recorded most of it!”_ she burst out laughing and he heard the other three in the background do the same before he hung up. 

Tim’s cheeks were blistering red and his eyes darted around the room. Lucy just laughed. 

_“I hate you so much right now. You know that, right?”_ he growled _“Truth. Or Dare?”_ he asked under his breath. 

_“Well, I’m sure as hell NOT picking dare now, that’s for sure!”_ she told him, stifling her laughter. 

_“Ok then. Truth. If you could go back and get a redo on one thing, what would it be?”_ he questioned. 

Lucy’s face fell ever so slightly and the color drained a little. A subtle sadness fell over her. 

It was then he realized. But he wasn’t able to catch himself fast enough. 

Lucy gulped, cracked a small smile, and quietly spoke. 

_“Easy. I would go home and sleep...I wouldn’t go out for drinks with Caleb. Actually, I would just let Armstrong go get the beer refill, like he wanted to, so Caleb could have just taken_ **_him_ ** _. Would’ve saved us all_ **_a lot_ ** _of trouble.”_ she tearfully chuckled, a few tears still dripping down her cheeks. 

Tim pulled her into his arms, running his fingers through her hair, comforting her. 

_“I’m so sorry Lucy. That was stupid. I never should’ve asked that question. I’m such an idiot. I don’t know what I was thinking.”_ he apologized. 

_“No. Really, it’s ok, I promise! But now it’s your turn, and I assume you don’t want another dare!”_ she smiled again. 

_“You would be correct!”_ Tim grinned. 

_“Ok. So truth. What other things have you done behind my back?”_

He contemplated for a brief moment. 

_“Well, let’s see…remember the mystery flowers and cookie basket you got after you got home from the hospital after your kidnapping?”_ Lucy nodded, _“Those were from me. Also, I made Jackson text me updates every couple hours that first few weeks after that too. Oh, and the few days you rode with Nyla after you came back to work, I thought I was literally going to blow up her phone checking on you. Ok. You’re not getting anything else out of me Chen.”_ he grinned. 

_“THOSE WERE FROM YOU?!? I was so freaked out about those cookies, thinking they were drugged or something! I literally threw them away Tim!”_ Lucy gasped. 

Tim chuckled. 

_“Yeah, in hindsight, sending unmarked food after you were drugged and kidnapped wasn’t one of my best ideas.”_ he admitted, _“Ok. Your turn. Truth or Dare?”_

_“I already know I’m going to regret this, but dare.”_ she gulped. 

_Show me the most embarrassing picture or video in your phone...then send it in the group text.”_ he challenged her. 

Lucy quickly searched through her phone before pulling up a video of herself at a party in college. She was wearing bright pink tights, neon green leg warmers, a tutu, off-the-shoulder graphic t-shirt, a massive bow, paired with a side ponytail, a large beaded necklace, huge earrings, jelly bracelets, matching fishnet gloves, and a pair of Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars. 

She hit play on the video, and Tim watched a very drunk Lucy dancing along to The Safety Dance, sloppily hopping and skipping around the room, trying and surprisingly succeeding in getting other people at the party to join her. 

_“Ok. Before you say anything, this was literally the ONLY party I ever went to in college. And it was 80s-themed. I might have gone a bit overboard...and did a few too many Jell-O shots.”_ Lucy cringed, sending the video to the group message. 

**Lucy:** _“Don’t ask any questions. Just enjoy.”_ she added. 

Not two seconds later both their phones blew up. 

**Jackson:** _OMG! LUCY!! We are 100% going to 80s night at Las Torres when you get out of quarantine!!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣_

**Angela:** _Um...This was...unexpected...I don’t even know what to say lol😂😂😂😂_

**John:** _No Comment...😂_

**Nyla: 😂😂😂😂** _I’m showing this to Lilah in 10 years before she starts college as an example of what NOT to do...🤣🤣🤣🤣_

Lucy rolled her eyes at Tim. 

_“Happy now?”_ she grinned. 

_“Very.”_ he replied. 

_“Just...we never bring this up again, ok? Truth or dare?”_ she sighed. 

_“Truth.”_

Lucy contemplated for a minute. 

  
  


_Ooh! I’ve got it! Do you secretly have a crush on anyone right now? And if so, who?”_

There was a long, awkward pause. 

Tim had no idea how to answer her question. After all, he couldn’t very well tell her that he did have a crush and it was on her. 

_“A crush? What, are we back in 3rd grade Chen?_ ” he tried to cover. 

Lucy rolled her eyes. 

_“Just answer the question Tim. Who’ve you got a crush on Bradford?”_ she teased, completely oblivious.

He tried to come up with something, anything other than the actual truth. 

_“It’s someone from work. That’s all you’re getting out of me Lucy. I’m serious.”_ he finally told her. 

She scanned his face incredulously. 

_“No...who is it? Is it someone I know? Oh my god. Tim….is it...is it...Angela?”_ Lucy prodded. 

Tim gaped at her in surprise. 

_“What? No! Absolutely not. I mean, I love her, but in like a brother/sister way. She’s one of my best friends. And she’s engaged to Wesley for God’s sake! Just...no. It’s not her. I’m not going to tell you who it is, so you might as well give up now.”_

Lucy’s eyes went wide again. 

_“Is it Harper? Ooh! It’s Nell isn’t it? I KNEW it! I mean, it makes sense...you DID bribe her during The Roundup. You even invited her out for a drink…”_ she exclaimed, proud of herself for seemingly figuring it all out. 

Tim just groaned and rolled his eyes. 

_“No. Nyla and Nell are great, but you are not even sort of close. You’re never going to figure it out.”_

Lucy shook her head. 

_“You didn’t train a quitter Bradford. I’m going to figure it out. Is it...Trager?”_

_“Nope.”_ Tim yawned.

_DeSantos?_

_“Negative.”_ he sighed. 

_“Fisher?”_

_“Getting colder!”_ he taunted.

_“Richards? Taylor? Frazier? Beckett? I can keep guessing all night if you want!”_ Lucy grinned as she thought of other female officers they worked with. 

_“Have at it. I’m still not going to give up a name!”_ Tim smirked. 

She’d began again and kept throwing out names for at least the next 15 minutes. 

Tim was getting increasingly more agitated. She was wearing him down. 

_“Um...what about Petermann? Or Andrews. Ooh! Is it Brady? What about…”_

Tim exploded. He couldn’t take it anymore. She wasn’t getting it. Lucy was completely oblivious. 

_“MY GOD LUCY! I’m pretty sure you’ve named every woman that works at Mid-Wilshire...except one! Who’d you forget? Who’s the one possible person you missed?”_ he exclaimed. 

Still, Lucy stared at him, completely perplexed. She was desperately trying to read his face, to figure out who he was referring to, who she possibly could have missed. 

Tim scanned her face, surprised and in bewilderment that she still hadn’t figured it out. It was actually annoying and honestly just getting incredibly frustrating at this point. 

_“OH FOR GOD’S SAKE LUCY!! HOW ARE YOU STILL NOT GETTING IT? IT’S YOU! I HAVE A ‘CRUSH’ ON YOU! HOLY HELL. I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO HAVE TO SPELL IT OUT FOR YOU! MY GOD!”_ he finally shouted. 

_“Me?”_ she mouthed in absolute shock, _“Seriously? Me. As in Lucy Chen. Me me?”_ she choked out, her voice barely more than a whisper. 

_“No. The other Lucy in this room...YES YOU!”_ he sarcastically replied. 

Lucy sat frozen, shaking her head. 

_“Holy crap. Holy crap!”_ she gasped under her breath. 

_“I mean, obviously I know nothing can happen between us. You’re my rookie. I’m your T.O. And you probably don’t even feel the same way anyways.”_ Tim dismissively said. 

_“And what way would that be?_ Lucy questioned. 

_“No. I’m not going there. Just forget it. Forget I even said any of that, ok Lucy. It’s probably for the best anyways.”_ Tim sighed. 

The hurt on Lucy’s face shattered him. 

_“For the best? You think maybe you should let me decide that? I mean, you just told me you had a ‘crush’ on me and , inadvertently, that you have real feelings for me. But ok, yeah, sure. I’ll just_ **_forget_ ** _you said any of that. Seems like a great plan. You know what...this...this is just...so...Tim of you. You finally open up, just to immediately shut down again. You did the same thing after the quarantine house...and after my kidnapping...and now...you’re doing it again…”_

_“Lucy…”_ Tim interrupted _“It’s complicated, ok? I’m sorry.”_

Lucy scowled at him. 

_“You seriously don’t think I realize how ‘complicated’ this is? You’re my T.O and you have ‘feelings’ for me...whatever that’s supposed to...you know what, no. I am not doing this with you right now. I’ll be in my room...reading a book or watching tv or something...I don’t know. I just...can’t be here...with you, right now.”_ she sighed as she stalked (as best she could on her injured ankle), off to the guest bedroom, a few tears threatening to spill down her red-hot cheeks. 

_“Lucy! Please come back! It was just a stupid game! C’mon. Let’s just talk! Please!”_ Tim called after her. 

He was met with the sound of the door slamming shut. 

A few hours went by and she still hadn’t come back out. 

Tim fixed some dinner, fixed Lucy a plate, walked to the closed door, and knocked. 

_“Hey Lucy. I made dinner. Thought you might want something to eat so I brought you a plate. Please open the door. I’m sorry.”_ he insisted. 

The door slowly creaked open and Lucy begrudgingly took the food. 

_“Thanks.”_ she dispassionately whispered before shutting the door again. 

_“We’re going to have to talk at some point, you know that, right?”_ he shouted after her. 

_“Of course I know that Tim. But right now, I just need some space, ok?”_ Lucy sighed. 

_“Fine. Ok. Whatever you need. But...never mind. Sorry. I’ll go.”_ he agreed. 

Tim forced himself to eat some dinner before resigning to be early. 

Walking past the guest bedroom, he heard Lucy quietly talking to someone on the phone. He assumed it was probably Jackson...or John. 

  
  


_“I just...I don’t know what to do...Am I right to be mad like this? Actually I don’t even think mad is the word. Honestly, I’m not sure I could ever actually be mad at him...It’s been like 5 hours since we talked. It’s weird...I don’t want it to be like this. I really don’t...Maybe I should just go talk to him, I don’t know...You know how I feel about him, Jackson...ok, shut up! NO! I do NOT need you to call and talk to him for me! Yeah..mmhmm...no. I’m hanging up now! No...Goodbye Jackson...Goodbye!”_ she giggled, amused. 

Tim grinned at Lucy’s laughter as he walked the last few feet to his own room. 

He flopped down into the bed, pulling up Angela’s number on his phone and debating whether or not to call her. 

He finally gave in and tapped the number. She picked up after only a couple rings. 

_“What’d you do.”_ Angela asked as soon as she answered. 

Tim took a long, deep breath. 

_“She knows, Angela.”_

_“She kno...ohhhhh!”_ she gasped, as she realized what Tim was saying, “ _How the hell did she find out?”_

_“It was a stupid game. Truth or Dare. I only agreed to play because I could tell how badly she wanted to.”_ he began. 

_“So, what? Did she just come straight out and ask if you were in love with her? What happened?”_ Angela asked. 

_“No. Absolutely not. No. She asked if I had a crush on anyone...like we were back in third grade or something. Anyways, I said yes and she grilled me. She’s gonna make a great detective someday, by the way. She asked if it was someone from work, I said yes...you know, like an idiot. Then she asked if it was someone she knew...and I, of course, said yes again. Lucy ended up going through every woman at Mid-Wilshire, even you. She kept guessing, it drove me crazy, I blurted out...well, you know...and here we are. And I have no clue what to do. Lucy has been locked in the guest bedroom ever since...barely said 2 words to me when I brought her dinner.”_ Tim recounted. 

There was a long silence on the other end. 

_“Me? She thought you had a crush on me?”_ Angela burst out laughing _“You told her not a chance in hell, right? I mean, I love you, but like a brother, you know? Ugh. God. You and me? That’s just too...weird! And I’m engaged to Wesley...and PREGNANT!”_ she continued laughing. 

Tim scoffed. 

_“Thanks Angela. You’re really a lot of help. I knew I shouldn’t have called.”_ he rolled his eyes as he moved to hang up on her. 

_“No! Wait. I’m sorry Tim! Seriously. Just...give her some space. Don’t push her. Lucy just needs some_

_Time to process it. It’ll be ok. You know she very clearly feels the same way about you that you feel about her! Lobsters. Soulmates. Whatever you want to call it...you two are practically made for each other! Oh shoot. Wesley just got home! I’ve got to go. Talk to you tomorrow?”_

_“Ok. Thanks Ang. Tell Wesley I said hi!”_ he told her, as they both hung up. 

He flipped the small tv in his room on and found a marathon of Rio Bravo reruns. Slowly, Tim drifted off to sleep. 

Lucy laid in bed, cuddling with Cojo, gently running her fingers through his soft fur, still trying to process everything, before she too fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how about that whopper of a secret Tim laid on Lucy? What’d you think? Did you like the chapter? 
> 
> Also, I got the idea for Tim to sing Escape (The Pina Colada Song), because I kept thinking about the pod car video with Eric and Melissa where Eric is jamming out to the song lol!! 
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I’ll post the next two on Thursday! 
> 
> Until then, feel free to leave comments/feedback if you want!!


	7. The Aftermath (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim and Lucy deal with the aftermath of Tim’s Truth or Dare confession!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok. I gave in. I caved. Here’s another chapter lol! Enjoy.

**Chapter 7: The Aftermath (Part 1)**

The next couple of days were...awkward. 

Lucy wasn’t trying to avoid Tim, it just kind of happened. He walked into a room, she had some reason to walk out. He sat down next to her, she excused herself to get a drink or snack, or to use the bathroom. 

Oddly enough though, the interactions they did have weren’t any colder than normal. Tim brought Lucy an ice pack for her ankle and helped her prop it up. Lucy helped Tim change the bandage on his hand. They watched a movie together, binged some tv shows. 

But Lucy was much quieter than usual. She didn’t excitedly discuss her favorite scenes or try to convince Tim that Nick and Ellie on NCIS needed to just give in and start dating already, or that they absolutely had the wrong suspect. There was no added ‘Lucy Commentary,’ as he liked to call it. 

_ “Lucy. Can we please just talk? We’re going to have to discuss this soon. There’s only 2 days before we go back to work. We’ve got to get the air cleared between us before that.”  _ he all but begged. 

_ “I know. And I also said I NEED some space. I am NOT ready to talk about it yet, ok? Please, just...drop it for now.”  _ she pleaded  _ “I’m gonna go fix dinner, take a breather.”  _ she sighed, pushing herself off the couch and limping out to the privacy of the kitchen.

Lucy longed for her apartment, for Jackson and the advice and guidance only her best friend could give. She ached to sit beside him on their couch with a glass of wine and just talk. 

Instead, she chopped a head of lettuce, sliced various vegetables, and pan-fried some chicken strips and some of the sliced vegetables. 

She grabbed two plates from the cupboard, as well as a couple forks from the drawer, filled the dish with lettuce, topping it with the chicken and vegetables and drizzled olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the top. 

Lucy picked up the plates and carried them out to the couch, setting Tim’s down on the coffee table in front of him. 

_ “Food’s ready. It’s not much, but I was really feeling a good salad tonight, I hope you don’t mind.”  _ she mumbled. 

_ “Thanks Lucy.”  _ Tim grumbled, a sour mood slowly catching up with him. 

She ate her salad, took her plate back out to the kitchen, rinsed it, placed it in the dishwasher, and headed to bed for the night. 

  
_ “I’m going to take a hot shower and then I’ll probably just head to bed for the night. So...goodnight I guess.”  _ Lucy mumbled coolly to Tim in passing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry lol. There wasn’t much in the way of resolution in this chapter was there? 😂😂 
> 
> Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter! Now I’m really not going to update again until Thursday...I haven’t decided whether I’ll post two chapters and then post the final chapter Sunday, or just post the next chapter (which is admittedly kind of on the short side), and then post the last two chapters Sunday, since I posted this chapter early! 
> 
> Thanks for reading! Please feel free to wave feedback and comments if you want!!!

**Author's Note:**

> What did you all think? Should I post more chapters? I’ve got all 10 chapters written, but again, I don’t feel as good about this fic as I have about others I’ve written, and the whole quarantine thing feels like a super raw, touchy subject, so I’m really debating posting more. Please let me know what you think. Should I continue with this or just scrap the whole story?


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